How big a mess is Pennsylvania’s charter school sector? This big.

by Carol Burris

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf horrified the charter school lobby with eight words — “the privatization of education in our public schools.” He used that phrase during a July news conference in which he was bemoaning the state of cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania.

Ana Meyers, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools, quickly expressed outrage and dismay. “I am shocked that you and your staff are unaware that none of Pennsylvania’s charter schools [bricks-and-mortar or cyber] are private or for-profit institutions,” stated Meyers in a letter to the governor.

As shocked as she may claim to be, Meyer’s response was entirely predictable. Denying that the state’s charters are connected from profiteering is part of the narrative that the charter lobby spins, confusing the public.